About the sporty side of Fajar

These past couple of days have been quite fantastic.

On Thursday, the Peer Leaders did quite an effective job in running the Sec 2 Captain's Ball Inter-House Games.

This event was clearly quite a stressful event for them, but I recognised that it was a perfect opportunity for my Peer Leaders to get some valuable experience in planning and executing it.

On the whole, the event went smoothly. There was superb effort from the competitors, in spite of the hot weather.

A key moment, for me, was when there was a case of a team who had fielded 2 players who weren't registered in that team!

So I sent 2 of my Peer Leaders to launch an enquiry. It was clear to me that the captain of that team had a lot to answer for.

I already knew what I had to do, but it was more important to see what was the response of the captain.

Would she defend her actions, even though it was wrong?

Or would she submit to the rules and accept the penalty for breaking the rules of sportsmanship, by fielding 2 ineligible players?




As it turned out, the captain ran to me and the first words from her mouth were, 'sorry, Mr Ng.'

She said that she would gladly accept any disciplinary action but pleaded with me not to disqualify her team from the whole competition.



It became very straightforward for her team and me, once she apologised. She was clearly remorseful and I made it very clear to her that since she was the captain, then she would have to bear the full responsibility for her negligence.

The final decision I took was that her team forfeited the match 0-3 to the other team.



It is ok to make mistakes, but what is quite unforgivable is that when you make a mistake, you refuse to acknowledge it.

On the other hand, if you hold up your hands and say, 'yep, I messed up and I take responsibility for it,' then I will do my best to help you and find a solution together.



I thought that the captain of that team had the correct attitude and I respect her for that.



Congratulations to all the House teams who participated in the IHG. Remember, winning and losing is part and parcel of competition. What matters most is that you have taken part and have given your all during the time you compete. It is crucial that you complete your game with NO regrets, knowing that, deep in your heart, you've given your best efforts and fully played your part as a member of a sports team.

And of course, it is only proper to congratulate the other team for a good game, whether you have won or lost.





Today, on the other hand, was a mixed day. It started well, then dipped for a while, before it got better and better.

All week, I have looked forward to having my form class, 4E5, for PE. I enjoy teaching them English, of course, and I still have so much to do with them, now that the O Levels are so so near.

But my favourite subject has always been PE!

Teaching sports and getting youths to be engaged in games is quite simply a joy in itself for me.

And my class was really hilarious and it was very uplifting to see that the vast majority of them enjoy soccer - their sport for this term.

It was hilarious when the two teams were called 'Lego' and 'Barbie' (thanks to Janelle)! The boys seemed to enjoy being in 'Barbie' team!

As usual we ended the game with the adrenaline-rushing penalty shootout and there were some great saves and some stupendous shots. You should see the girls in my class, so garang! They can sure play a mean game of soccer!




But all that satisfaction evaporated in a second, when a colleague of mine came straight to me and made a formal complaint about the behaviour of the boys in my class in the computer lab. She was so exasperated (normally she's very cheerful) that it dawned on me that the actions of those culprits must have gone too far.



This incident blackened my mood for the whole afternoon. I cannot condone irresponsibility and disrespect from boys under my charge.



As far as I am concerned, I work on the principle of mutual respect. It's really very simple: whether I fancy you or not, it doesn't matter. I will speak to you with courtesy and in the correct tone.

I will also not withhold my anger if I find you guilty of being rude and disobedient to any of my teachers. You will learn, soon enough, that it takes 2 to clap, and if you want to be highly respected by teachers and fellow students, then you have got to show it first.



In the late afternoon, I accompanied my fellow PE teacher, Mr Ong, to ITE Dover for a sports competition. We sent our soccer girls and basketball boys to participate and I was very pleased with their behaviour.

In particular I was quite impressed with the calmness and composure of my basketball boys, when they had to go through the nerve-wrecking free-throw shootout against 6 other schools, where the outcome would determine the trophy winners.

To their credit, they did well enough to reach the gold medal round. Though in the end, their opponents did brilliantly to cope with the crushing pressure to score more baskets than us. Nonetheless, I was still very satisfied because throughout the nervous tension, they were remarkably cool and applauded all their opponents whenever they scored or missed. So well done boys!





Finally the weekend's here, and I am in dire need for some rest. It's been a long long week and I really could enjoy a longer sleep-in tomorrow. Thank God for weekends!